Docetism Series

Monarchianism

An overemphasis on the indivisibility of God (the Father) at the expense of the other "persons" of the Trinity leads to either Sabellianism (Modalism) or Adoptionism.

In Eastern theology, stressing the "monarchy" of God was a legitimate way of affirming his oneness and the Father as the unique source of divinity. It became heretical when pushed to the extremes indicated.

Monophysitism or Eutychianism

The belief that Christ's divinity dominates and overwhelms his humanity, as opposed to the Chalcedonian position, which holds that Christ has two natures, one Divine and one human, or the Miaphysite position, which holds that the human nature and pre-incarnate divine nature of Christ were united as one divine-human nature from the point of the Incarnation onwards. After Nestorianism was rejected at the First Council of Ephesus, Eutyches emerged with diametrically opposite views. Eutyches was excommunicated in 448. Monophysitism and Eutyches were rejected at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. is also rejected by the Oriental Orthodox Churches also reject

Monothelitism

The belief that Jesus Christ had two natures but only one will. This is contrary to the orthodox interpretation of Christology, which teaches that Jesus Christ has two wills (human and divine) corresponding to his two natures Originated in Armenia and Syria in AD 633 Monothelitism was officially condemned at the Third Council of Constantinople (the Sixth Ecumenical Council, 680–681). The churches condemned at Constantinople include the Oriental Orthodox Syriac, Armenian, Coptic churches, and the Maronite church, although the latter now deny that they ever held the Monothelite view and are presently in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. Christians in England rejected the Monothelite position at the Council of Hatfield in 680.

Nestorianism

The belief that Jesus Christ was a natural union between the flesh and the word, thus not identical to the divine Son of God. It was advanced by Nestorius (386–450), Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine was informed by Nestorius' studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch.

Condemned at the First Council of Ephesus in 431 and the Council of Chalcedon in 451, leading to the Nestorian Schism.

Nestorius rejected the title Theotokos for the Virgin Mary, and proposed Christotokos as more suitable. Many of Nestorius' supporters relocated to Sassanid Persia, where they affiliated with the local Christian community, known as the Church of the East. Over the next decades the Church of the East became increasingly Nestorian in doctrine, leading it to be known alternately as the Nestorian Church.

Patripassianism

Belief that the Father and Son are not two distinct persons, and thus God the Father suffered on the cross as Jesus. similar to Sabellianism

Psilanthropism

Belief that Jesus is "merely human": either that he never became divine, or that he never existed prior to his Incarnation as a man. Rejected by the ecumenical councils, especially in the First Council of Nicaea, which was convened to deal directly with the nature of Christ's divinity. See Adoptionism